With the proliferation of home devices able to store computer files, users of these devices are encountering difficulties in managing all the stored files.
Today it is common to have one or more personal computers, a storage device that streams media over a distribution network (“Set Top Box”), or other devices. The user then has an assortment of files distributed across different equipments.
To access the files stored on a specific device, the user must adapt to the file system of the device. Even when the devices are networked to allow using one device to access a file stored on another device, the user must adapt to the specific organization of the files on each device.
As a result, it is difficult for the user to keep a simple and consistent view of all the computer files (text, audio, video, images, etc.) on the assorted devices the user has.
A need therefore exists for a management of computer files stored on different communicating devices that is both effective and transparent to the user.